The Patent and Trademark Office allowed an extra week...

The Patent and Trademark Office allowed an extra week for comments, to Feb. 4, on PTO’s proposed regulatory changes to implement an international design patent recognition system, said the office in a notice in Friday’s Federal Register (http://1.usa.gov/1b4oHSJ). Under the 1999 Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement Concerning International Registration of Industrial Design, owners of industrial designs can apply for protection in multiple member countries using a single application. The treaty won’t come into force in the U.S. until a number of steps, including finalizing PTO’s regulatory changes, are completed.